Current lab members
Rachana Rao Battaje, postdoctoral fellow (August 2023 to present)
Ph.D. Molecular Cell Biology 2023, M.Sc. Biotechnology 2017, B.Sc. Microbiology, Chemistry, and Zoology 2015
Office: CABM 302
For my PhD, I studied the potential of bacterial cell division as an alternative target for anti-bacterial therapy. I elucidated the mechanism of antibacterials against a respiratory pathogen, Streptococcus pneumoniae, one of the many bacteria that is rapidly developing resistance to antibiotics. I am intrigued by the role of microbial communities in the development of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria. In the QEM lab, I want to explore the antibiotic sensitivity and resistance patterns of microbial communities under various nutrient and environmental stress conditions. My goal is to find ways to quantitatively explain these patterns that can ultimately be used to predict the response of bacterial communities against antibiotics.
Dhru Desai, undergraduate student (June 2023 to present)
B.S. Biomedical Engineering 2026 (expected)
Office: CABM 309
My work revolves around simulating gene mutations on microbial models and larger community models.
Justus Fink, Ph.D. student/postdoctoral fellow (May 2019 to present)
Ph.D. Microbial Evolution 2023, M.Sc. Mathematics 2019, B.Sc. Mathematics 2016, B.Sc. Physics 2015
Office: CABM 309
I study how nutrient concentrations translate into microbial growth performance and create selection pressure on cell metabolism. My work combines data analysis of growth phenotypes with models of resource competition to predict microbial adaptation at low nutrient conditions. I enjoy data visualization, back-of-the-envelope calculations, and spontaneous brainstorming at the blackboard.
Atharv Jayprakash, undergraduate student (January 2023 to present)
B.S. Cell Biology and Neuroscience, with minor in Computer Science, 2026 (expected)
Office: CABM 309
I am an undergraduate student with a background in computer science, eager to apply my knowledge to the field of biomedical research. With a passion for using technology to improve the human condition, I hope to incorporate modern computational analysis methods to drive research forward. Ultimately I hope to pursue an MD/PhD and continue my journey at the intersection of medicine and technology.
Michael Manhart, group leader (October 2018 to present) and assistant professor (January 2023 to present)
Ph.D. Physics 2014, B.S. Physics and Mathematics 2009 (CV)
Office: CABM 306
I am interested in the quantitative principles of biology, especially the ecology and evolution of microbial communities. My long-term goal is to develop for these systems a predictive theory, comparable to theoretical frameworks in the physical sciences, that we can use to solve important microbiological problems in human health.
Duhita Sant, postdoctoral fellow (August 2023 to present)
Ph.D. Evolutionary Biology 2022, M.Sc. Microbiology 2013, B.Sc. Microbiology 2011
Office: CABM 302
Duhita is currently a post-doctoral researcher in the lab of Prof. Michael Manhart working on the effect of cross-feeding interactions on mutation effects, especially as mediated by spatial structure, in laboratory systems. She received a PhD in July 2022 from Monash University, studying the evolution of bacteriophages (viral parasites of bacteria) in the context of microbial community diversity and structure, supervised by Prof. Mike McDonald and Prof. Jeremy Barr. Before joining CABM, she was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biology, University of Oxford with Prof. Tim Barraclough and Prof. Kayla King, examining the impacts of environmental stress (i.e., pH) on coevolutionary interactions within the wild bacterial communities.
Shivali Vanodia, undergraduate (December 2023 to present)
B.S. Data Science 2026 (expected)
Office: CABM 309
Shivali is studying how the bacterial distribution of mutant fitness effects changes under different environments.